Within public schools today, all students of all backgrounds are expected to learn, show proficiency within specific subject areas, and graduate with a high school diploma. Educators are acutely aware of this colossal undertaking and must be up for the challenge. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to getting all students to the finish line, for all students are unique in their backgrounds, identities, and learning styles. This is especially true for exceptional learners, who may have a learning disability, exhibit an emotional disorder, be a gifted-and-talented student, or showcase a combination of any of these umbrella terms (American College of Education). Recognizing students’ specific situations and subsequent needs — regardless of if these needs are documented in special services plans — is vital for educators to better understand the students, along with developing a plan of action to best reach and teach them.
Educators today are told to teach to the whole child. It is important, therefore, to view students as complex and dynamic individuals. While some students may be identified as exceptional learners, these exceptionalities should not be the defining characteristics of the students. Educators must not fall into the trap of viewing the student through a deficit lens. Goodfellow (2012) warns that “educational spaces are socially and discursively constructed as places of inclusion and exclusion” (p. 67), and that while public schools are becoming more equitable, there is still much work to be done. Much of that work starts with how the teachers think about all students, including exceptional learners. A stigma continues to persist around these learners, as Ronksley-Pavia et al. (2019) report, and “the children’s lived experiences showed evidence of facing prejudice and discrimination from others when their twice-exceptionality was revealed or became known” (p. 19). Reducing the stigma and quelling any prejudice and discriminations is a must in today’s classrooms. Not only is it the morally right thing to do, but it also will help teachers get all students to the finish line of graduation.
Samuel*
*names and distinguishable characteristics have been altered for privacy
Samuel is a 13-year-old student who has qualified to take the Honors English I class as a freshman in high school. Samuel is a voracious reader who constantly scores above grade-level average on standardized tests, which helped him earn a spot in the class. He also enjoys drawing, watching movies, and talking about The Lord of the Rings to anyone who will listen. Samuel is a twice-exceptional student who does extremely well in all his classes (except phys. ed.) and was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as an elementary student. While it is a relatively mild case of the neurodevelopmental disorder, its symptoms are enough to qualify Samuel for an IEP.
Areas of struggle for Samuel include answering writing prompts that require more than a paragraph, collaborating with classmates during group assignments, and maintaining his attention on an assignment if he does not find it interesting or valuable. Earning good grades is a strong motivator for Samuel, but he has shut down in classes when he does not have strong rapport with the teacher. Samuel enjoys tapping into his creative mind for assignments, and he chomps on the bit for rigorous and mentally stimulating activities. He especially enjoys visual-based activities, like analyzing actors in films and creating comic strips to tell a story.
Samuel’s exceptionalities affect his literacy skills in a few ways. While he is a strong reader and decoder in general, he sometimes struggles with writing and speaking and listening. Communicating in class, especially when it is about subject matter that Samuel does not care about, can be burdensome at best and calamitous at worst. Samuel’s IEP addresses the specific learning difficulties that can be problematic in the classroom. Modifications for Samuel may include extended time to complete writing projects, which should be thoroughly chunked into smaller pieces by the teacher, and the option for Samuel to choose his small groups to complete group work in, with clear roles and expectations defined by the teacher and his groupmates. Samuel also has access to his case manager throughout the school day if he needs further support throughout the school day.
In the Honors English I class, Samuel has just completed his first reading: The Odyssey by Homer. The unit final is usually an essay that connects a theme from the epic to a more modern piece of media — like a movie, TV show, or videogame. While Samuel is brimming with potential connects back to The Odyssey, he is dreading the idea of writing a traditional essay. The teacher anticipates this reluctance and gives Samuel two options. The first option is allowing for additional time and resources to build a traditional essay, as Samuel can request through his IEP. The teacher says that he would honor the IEP modifications and could additionally help Samuel outside of class during his study hall time. The second option would be to answer the project prompt not through an essay, but through a visual project online via Animoto. The teacher knows of Samuel’s extremely creative abilities and that a little extra challenge might engage the student more. The teacher also recalls reading a study that finds “that digital tools (Animoto/storytelling) play an important role in supporting the development of literacy skills among a struggling male reader” (Barnard, 2012, p. 54). Samuel eagerly accepts the second option, even knowing that he will still need to write strong slideshow points that cite textual evidence and argue that his connection is effective. The differentiation to incorporate visually stimulating technology into the project will likely engage Samuel better than forcing him to write a traditional essay.
Annie*
*names and distinguishable characteristics have been altered for privacy
Annie is a 16-year-old student who is a junior enrolled in English III. The class, and school classes in general, are not Annie’s favorite pastimes. She does not like reading or writing, though she enjoys talking with her friends and listening to music. Annie failed English her freshman year, but she made the credit up last summer and is on track to graduate with her classmates. She seems to better understand the rigors of high school now; however, her grades are still lower than average in her core classes. Annie performs better in her elective classes, like Latin or choir. She has an affable personality and a good sense of humor. She is popular on social media sites and is on them frequently.
Annie struggles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety, and she has since her elementary years. In particular, Annie struggles with executive functioning activities that require sustained focus. Annie recognizes her neurodivergence, and it often contributes to her anxiety. She goes to counseling somewhat routinely to help her cope with these mental health issues, which also helped reveal other adverse childhood experiences that Annie has lived through. She is currently medicated and on a 504 plan.
Some specific challenge areas for Annie include reading texts that are at or above grade level, organizing her thoughts into well developed paragraphs, and presenting information in front of her peers. Graduating on time is a good motivator for Annie, though she does not see why she should try to earn anything higher than a C. She struggles in classes that have stringent late-work policies, since she often turns work in late. Annie may request extensions through her 504 if she asks the teacher, but sometimes she does not initiate the process and loses points.
Annie prefers classes that do not deduct points for lateness and allow her to work at her own pace. She likes project-based learning units and working with friends; unsurprisingly, Annie and her choir quintet earned a superior rating at the state competition since she was able to showcase her skillset with ease in that setting. While she says she would never do a solo competition, Annie is clearly capable of impressive feats when she maintains her confidence.
She does not have much confidence, unfortunately, in her English class since failing during her freshman year. That negative experience, paired with her learning exceptionalities, can make the class one of her worst in terms of grades and general performance. Annie reports that she does not enjoy reading books for fun and often uses SparkNotes to skim through assigned readings. Annie also does not like writing due to her losing focus and wanting to do anything else. While she does have the 504 and a case manager, Annie does not utilize these resources as often as she could. She does talk about these struggles with her supportive therapist.
The English III class has an ongoing independent reading and writing project that spans the entire semester. In it, students are to select reading-level appropriate texts and journal their thoughts on it throughout the first half of the year before presenting for their final. The teacher knows of Annie’s struggles with ADHD, anxiety, and school in general, but he also recognizes the power behind allowing students to choose the texts they want to immerse themselves in, allowing them the space to write about what they want to write about, and giving them the freedom to present their findings however they deem appropriate. He suggests that Annie read more modern and more shorter books, like Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. If she wanted to, she could examine the protagonist’s struggles with mental health and connect to it with her journal entries. These types of writing assignments can be effective; Rodríguez et al. (2020) “found that the influence of ADHD on writing performance was in part independent of working memory and sustained attention” (p. 21), and that, when given supports, writing may be an effective therapeutic tool. Lastly, instead of presenting a slideshow at the end of the semester, Annie could record Flipgrid videos that allow for friends to react and respond (much like they do already on Snapchat and Instagram). Annie accepts these suggestions and begins her reading.
Conclusion
If the teacher wishes to find success with both students, he needs to recognize the following: that all students are capable of learning, that these kids are more than their exceptionalities, and that differentiation of content, process, and product can help everyone get to the finish line. Doing these things may not ensure perfect results every single time, but it does promise all students an equitable opportunity to learn.
References
American College of Education [Module 1]. (2021a, March 11). Part 1: Who are exceptional learners? [Video]. Media Gallery. https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1825638/external_tools/118428
Barnard, C. A. (2011). How can teachers implement multiple modalities into the classroom to assist struggling male readers? Education Masters. 26(1). 1-90.
Goodfellow, A. (2012). Looking through the learning disability lens: Inclusive education and the learning disability embodiment, Children’s Geographies, 10(1), 67-81, doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2011.638179
Rodríguez, C., Torrance, M., Betts, L., Cerezo, R., & García, T. (2020). Effects of ADHD on Writing Composition Product and Process in School-Age Students. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(12), 1735–1745.
Ronksley-Pavia, M., Grootenboer, P., & Pendergast, D. (2019). Privileging the voices of twice-exceptional children: An exploration of lived experiences and stigma narratives. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 42(1), 4–34. doi.org/10.1177/0162353218816384
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